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St. Louis BBB TORCH awards recognize companies and charities that are committed to exceptional standards for ethical business practices and service to their customers, employees, suppliers, and communities.

August 27, 2014

St. Louis, Mo., August 27, 2014 – Riggs Construction & Design of Kirkwood, Mo., is among 10 businesses and two charities who will receive TORCH Awards from Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois at noon Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.

Riggs Construction & Design, founded in 1959, had a long and successful history as a carpentry subcontractor before it adopted a design-build strategy in the late 1990s.

“Design-build creates a partnership between the client and the builder,” said Amie Riggs Swarts, co-owner with her brother, Bill Riggs. Since changing to that model, design-build work accounts for 75 percent of its business and carpentry subcontracting about 25 percent. The company provides services to residential and commercial contractors as well as consumers.

“The company prides itself on its repeat business and on taking attentive care of their property and their needs,” Swarts said.

Businesses and charities who apply for the TORCH Awards are evaluated for their commitment to customer service through exceptional standards for ethical business practices. A committee of previous winners chooses the award winners.

This year’s TORCH Awards features Mark Whitacre, once a rising star at Archer Daniels Midland who became an internationally known whistleblower on the company’s price-fixing practices. Whitacre, whose story was the basis for the movie, The Informant, has found his way back into business and is in high demand as a motivational speaker.

KMOV News Anchor Steve Savard will emcee the event.

The TORCH Awards luncheon is at noon Tuesday, Oct. 14, in the Khorassan Room at the Chase Park Plaza. Tickets for the luncheon are available at $60 a person, or $600 for a table of 10. Patron sponsorships, which include luncheon tickets, are available for $1,500.

BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. All BBB services to consumers are free of charge. BBB provides objective advice, free BBB Business Reviews on more than 4.7 million businesses, 11,000 Charity Reviews, dispute resolution services, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information.